My Brother’s Husband Vol 2 by Gengoroh Tagame

My Brother's Husband Vol 2
By: Gengoroh Tagame
Illustrator: Gengoroh Togame
Translator: Anne Iishi
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Publisher: Pantheon
Series: My Brother's Husband
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


If there is any manga whose release date I’ve been looking forward to it would be My Brother’s Husband Vol 2 by Gengoroh Tagame. I was so ecstatic when a review copy was sent that I read the whole thing cover to cover as soon as I pulled it out of the packaging. My Brother’s Husband is a story about family, loss, grief, guilt, and acceptance. It is a story we can all relate to in our own ways, and it is a story that demands to be read.

My Brother’s Husband Vol 2 continues the story of Mike, Yaichi, and Kana. Plot in a nutshell – Yaichi’s divorced and his somewhat estranged brother recently deceased. One day Mike, a Canadian man and his brother’s widow, shows up on his doorstep looking to connect with the family he never knew.

#MangaMonday Review – Again!! Vol 2 by Mitsurou Kubo

Again!! Vol 2
By: Mitsurou Kubo
Release Date: April 10, 2018 (English); November 17, 2011 (Original Japanese)
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Again!!
Rating:


Earlier this year I read Again!! Vol 1. I enjoyed it, and said I was going to continue on with the series. So here I am having just finished the second volume, making good on my promise to report back you all on what I thought about Again!! Vol 2 by Mitsurou Kubo.

The story continues with Kinichirou trying to thwart the cheerleading club’s efforts to get rid of the ouendan club once and for all. The overall pacing of this volume was extremely fluid. Sections from Kinichirou and Akira’s points of view flowed together very naturally, more so than the previous volume. Several new characters are introduced with extremely varied personalities.

#MangaMonday Review – Kase-san and Morning Glories by Hiromi Takashimi

Kase-san and Morning Glories
By: Hiromi Takashimi
Illustrator: Hiromi Takashimi
Translator: Jocelyne Allen (translator); Jenn Grunigen (adaptor)
Release Date: February 28, 2017 (English); July 28, 2012 (Japanese)
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: Kase-san Series
Rating:


I’m not going to lie. I was completely drawn in by the cute characters on the cover and the pretty pastel colors. I picked up this manga during a BookOutlet binge. I’d never heard of it before, and am very happy I managed to stumble across a copy. Kase-san and Morning Glories is a one shot manga volume that was extremely sweet with endearing characters.

Review – The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri

The Book of Hidden Things
By: Francesco Dimitri
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: Titan Books
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Ladies and gentlemen, let us talk about The Book of Hidden Things by Francesco Dimitri. I’ve sat on this review for a while. I wasn’t sure how I felt right after finishing this novel. The characters were unlikeable, I was angry with some of their actions and decisions, and there was at once not enough and too much magic. Yet I found the story still in my head, leaving me thinking about it days and then weeks later. It is this, I think, that hallmarks a good story, and maybe more importantly than that, a story that makes you think and question even if you’re not positive what it is you should really be questioning.

Review – Ping Pong Dash! Vol 1 by Shingo Honda

Ping Pong Dash! Vol 1
By: Shingo Honda
Illustrator: Shingo Honda
Release Date: December 12, 2017
Publisher: Akita Publishing Co., Ltd
Series: Ping Pong Dash! #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


So. Sports manga. It’s a genre I’ve only recently began reading in earnest, and I have to say that I’m now a fan. Ping Pong Dash! Vol 1 by Shingo Honda is part sports manga and part contemporary school manga. It’s the story of a Yankee who winds up joining the tennis club and includes great ping pong matches, memorable main characters, and fight scenes. There’s a lot packed into this volume, and a lot to enjoy, so lets take a look at the first volume in this manga series. The story is about Haruku Tendo, a Yankee who winds up joining the ping pong club.

#MangaMonday Review – Sota’s Knife Vol 1 by Yuichiro Sueda

Sota's Knife Vol 1
By: Yuichiro Sueda
Illustrator: Kei Honjo
Release Date: July 4, 2018
Publisher: Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, Ltd.
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


After reading Food Wars! and Space Battle Lunch Time, two extremely different food based stories, I’ve made it a point to seek out more food based manga and graphic novels. When I had a chance to read Sota’s Knife Vol. 1 by Yuichiro Sueda and Kei Honjo I jumped on it. Sota’s Knife is a wonderful manga about hard work, following your dreams, and food. Sota is a dishwasher at a restaurant run by a prominent chef. One day, Sota hopes to be just as good a cook as him, but for now he’s at the bottom of the ladder trying to gain the skills he’ll need to climb upward.

#MangaMonday Review – Tokyo Tarareba Girls, Vol 1 by Akiko Higashimura

Tokyo Tarareba Girls Vol 1
By: Akiko Higashimura
Illustrator: Akiko Higashimura; Rina Mapa (Lettering)
Translator: Steven LeCroy
Release Date: June 12, 2018; (original) September 12, 2014
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Tokyo Tarareba Girls
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


You’ve probably read (or watched) Princess Jellyfish. But have you read Tokyo Taraeba Girls by Akiko Higashimura?

Review – Karate Heat Vol 1 by Eiichi Kitano

Karate Heat
By: Eiichi Kitano
Illustrator: Eiichi Kitano
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Karate Heat
Rating:


I like shonen. I also like sports manga. Although, to be honest, I like just about all manga. This week I started a new series titled Karate Heat by Eiichi Kitano, a title I was previously unfamiliar with. This is a shonen manga about karate, hard work, and friendship.

Review – Go For It, Nakamura! by Syundei

Go For It, Nakamura!
By: Syundei
Illustrator: Syundei; Kaitlyn Wiley (lettering and layout)
Translator: Amber Tamosaitis (translator); Shannon Fay (adaptation)
Release Date: July 3, 2018
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: Go For It, Nakamura
Rating:


Go For It, Nakamura! was a very adorable manga. It’s a cute slice-of-life boy’s love comedy story. The main character is Nakamura, a high schooler who fell instantly in love with the cute, outgoing boy in his class on the first day of school. Unfortunately, Nakamura doesn’t know Hirose, not really. His goal? Overcome his shyness and klutzy habits, introduce himself, and become Hirose’s friend. After that, well, maybe then he can confess his true feelings.

Review – The Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan

The Dead House
By: Billy O'Callaghan
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Publisher: Arcade/Skyhorse Publishing
Rating:


There is nothing quite like a good ghost story. I always seem to stumble upon these, and I am very happy to say that this book was quite the happy accident. This was a last minute pick up at the library, a book that caught my eye on the way to check out a small pile of books. The Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan is a beautifully written ghost story that will stay with you long after reading.